White as Snow

My photo challenge is over. I missed a few days, but it did challenge me to take pictures of the everyday, not just the special moments. 

The year's first snow. Now there really is nothing spectacular about it, but it is something that makes me love to take pictures. This snow was so pretty. Everything had an inch or two blanket of fluffy snow. The air was crisp and it felt so fresh. 

That morning we got the kids out of bed and got them into their snowsuits so that they could experience the first snow! Grace couldn't wait! Justice had no idea what was going on.

Outside Grace exclaimed, "Ohhh, SNOWMAN!"

We had just watched Frosty The Snowman so she equated all the snow with snowman. She loved walking through it and trying to make a ball out of it. 

Justice couldn't move in his snowsuit and was less than impressed. We wanted to touch it, but his hands had mittens on it. When Daddy gave him some fresh snow he finally cracked a smile, but it didn't last too long.

Of course, the white snow and cold air brings along the Christmas feeling. I baked goodies that day and played Christmas music that I had on my computer. 

But the best part was not the holiday spirit, but what snow truly reminds me of. 

"Your hands are full of blood;

wash and make yourselves clean. 

       Take your evil deeds 

       out of my sight! 

       Stop doing wrong,

learn to do right! 

       Seek justice, 

       encourage the oppressed.

       Defend the cause of the fatherless, 

       plead the case of the widow.

 "Come now, let us reason together," 

       says the LORD. 

       "Though your sins are like scarlet, 

       they shall be as white as snow; 

       though they are red as crimson, 

       they shall be like wool."

Isaiah 1:15b-18

When I see the snow, I honestly think of this. My hands are full of blood, red... My God tells me to stop doing what is wrong, but to learn to do right! (It's not just the cessation of doing wrong, but learning and doing the right thing!) 

Seek justice. Encourage the oppressed. Defend the fatherless and Plead the case of the widow. Those are such STRONG verbs for doing! By following after Him and believing in Him, he sees my scarlet hands...and he makes them white as snow. What a gracious God.  (Notice both words of grace and justice were in this paragraph...hmmm)

The first snow. It's such a reminder for me, that my Jesus has taken my bloody hands and cleaned them to be as white as snow.

President Elect Barack Obama

I have really enjoyed this year's political/religious debate. 

Please read Walt Mueller's Blog about the President-Elect. I think it provides some good insight.

President-Elect Barack Obama

Midnight Grocery Shopping

Yesterday I spent the day cleaning the apartment from top to bottom. I made a menu for two weeks, a shopping list that would fit our budget, and worked on youth group. Last night, after youth group, and still pumped up on adrenaline, I went grocery shopping.

I've been grocery shopping late before, but it was when I was in college or needed one or two things. This time, it was full-fledged grocery shopping. They were restocking the shelves as I was there, so I had to maneuver my heaping cart around mountains of boxed food. But, I didn't have lines, crabby people around me, or my children ripping food off of the shelves or crying. I was tired, but I was out of the house and relaxed. I didn't get to bed until long after 1 AM. How's that for overtime?!

Sometimes I feel like my job as homemaker doesn't make sense to anybody (except my husband). Then, if I put it into job terms...this IS what I do:

• Community Skills Trainer
  
• Event Coordinator
• Fiscal Manager
• Menu Planner
• Chef/Nutritionist
• Home Health
• Sanitation Specialist
• Counselor for Youth & Family
• Teacher
• Spiritual Advisor/Pastor
• Graphic Arts Designer
• Curriculum Developer
• Bible Scholar

Okay, that's a self-booster for me. All that plus overtime, nights and weekends expected. 

But, I love what I do. I get to create play out of normal activities for my children, and teach them how to live in this culture. I wouldn't trade that in for the world.

{Day 26}

Justice plays in the winter coats tub.

I have been so impressed with how Grace and Justice have been learning and growing up. Yesterday, out of the blue, Grace said, "1, 2, 3, 5"

"No, Grace, 4," I said.

"Yeah, 5, 6, 8"

"7."

"7, 8, 9, 10."

I have not been working exclusively with learning how to count, but just doing it in passing. My, how she soaks everything in! She knows her colors, and lately she's been learning the alphabet.

Justice has now learned to pull himself up into the standing position, finger-walk (in fact, he prefers it over crawling), wave and say "buh-bye" and "hi." Now he learned how to throw his cup over his high chair tray and exclaim, "uh-oh!"

And I can't take the credit (though I wish I could)! First, I give God the glory for the amazing love and gifts that He's given my children. Then, I think about the loving people they are around all the time. Daddy, Grandmas and Grandpas, aunts and uncles that work with my children, teaching and playing with them. They learn the alphabet when they are babysat, and get books read to them. They get to play and learn with people who love them. There is never a dull moment. What a BLESSING!

{Day 27}

Grace playing with her Alphabet flash cards that daddy got her, 

and Justice staring intently at the camera, knowing that it will flash.

Happy Halloween!

The last week has been mostly swelling and pain management, so I haven't been so sauve with the camera. I got some pictures of the swelling and how beat up I look, but... those don't need to be posted. They are for my memory, not yours. :-)

So... I'm up to day 25 of the challenge. I am a bit disappointed that I missed a couple of days, but that's okay. I got some very cute pics of Halloween to make up for it.

This Halloween we were going to have a party to get to know people in our community. However, management had to veto the party idea last minute, so we moved on to plan B. We went Trick or Treating at the great-grandparents' homes. 

Grace was a dragon and Justice was a tiger. For the animals they really can be...they were such troopers! We traveled a lot in the car.

"Grace...what does a dragon say?!"

"GRRRRAaaaaarrrrr!"

It was hilarious. Grace really got the "trick or treat" and receiving candy. She didn't ever want to part with her pumpkin with her candy in it. Even at night we were trying to go to bed and she didn't want to leave that pumpkin! We had to convince her to put it in a "safe place" for tomorrow.

{Day 25}